Apopka's Biggest Stories in 2018: Video of APD officer during lightning strike goes viral

Posted Friday, December 28, 2018 8:13 pm

From the Apopka Police Department

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of articles published by The Apopka Voice in 2018 that were the most noteworthy events of the year. The Apopka Voice will publish them starting today and running until Sunday, December 30th. On December 31st and January 1st, we will publish a poll and let the readers decide on which story is the most impactful of the year.

Originally published on June 26th, 2018.

On Tuesday evening around 8:30 p.m. a severe storm rolled through downtown Apopka resulting in a lightning strike near the police department parking lot. The resulting strike knocked out the power to the building and damaged multiple electrical transformers. The building’s generator activated and provided power to the building’s components. The Apopka Fire Department responded due to a haze in the building, but no damage or fire was located.

https://www.facebook.com/theapopkavoice/videos/702975913378581/

There were no injuries to the officers or public and no emergency services were interrupted. The city’s emergency 911 center is located at a remote site and was unaffected.

The attached video taken from one of the department’s surveillance cameras shows a police canine officer next to his vehicle at the time of the strike. He retreated to his vehicle and was unharmed.

The Apopka Police Department is a full-service, accredited police agency with more than 150 employees including 108 sworn officers and staff. The City of Apopka is a growing area ideally located 13 miles northwest of Orlando with major roadway access to many parts of Central Florida. The hometown community has more than 50,000 residents across 33 square miles and includes a diverse mix of business development. The Apopka Police Department supports the Crimeline program to aid in investigations and to foster safe and anonymous tips that lead to criminal arrests. You can help with these local cases - if you have relevant information, please call (800) 423-TIPS, go to www.crimeline.org, or e-mail APDTIPS@Apopka.net. Apopka bulletins can be found at the APD website (www.apopkapolice.com); click on “Crimeline”.